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The forest is where I spend most of my time now when I’m not teaching or sleeping. I love tending to the flowers and the little vegetable patch at the back, and it’s really calming to sit and read as the wind blows through the trees. I’ve had the pebbles here a few times on trips, teaching them about nature on Earth and about different foods humans eat. They love coming here almost as much as I do. It’s my favourite place in my biodome.
I’ve actually got Eva here with me at the moment. She, like her namesake, is very passionate, and she loves spending time with me in the forest and my garden areas. She’s currently watering the little plum tree the Doctor gave me when he was last here. It’s sprouted happily and I think it will only be another month or two before I get fruit from it.
I deflate a little as I think of the Doctor, setting down my trowel. I miss him rather a lot. He’s not the Doctor I want, he doesn’t have the right face, but I still miss him. I know I’ll warm up to him if I spend more time with him, but he hasn’t been back here in a couple of months now. I really hope he comes back soon. It’s hard here without him. I mean, I’m managing. I’m fine. But I really miss him.
Eva chirps quietly at my side, nudging my arm. “Doctor Grace not feel good, question? I get Rocky?”
I let out a soft huff and shake my head. “Nah. I’ll be okay, Eva. Just human things. Don’t you worry about me.”
“All things with Doctor Grace human things. You are human,” she replies stubbornly, and I’m reminded of Rocky. She’s not one of his pebbles, but she spends enough time around him to pick up his mannerisms. Maybe this is why she’s my favourite student. (Don’t tell anyone I said that.)
“That’s a very good point,” I concede with a smile, patting the top of her carapace as she preens happily. “I just miss the Doctor. He hasn’t been back here in a while.”
Eva hums reassuringly, leaning against me. “Doctor is good man. I hope he comes back soon. Doctor can help Doctor Grace.”
“He can help me. I think he will come back at some point.” Whether that’s in a week or a year, I have no idea. I hope it’s within days, but he’s a time traveller who zips around space in a blue box. He can come back to me whenever he wants.
I sigh again, picking up my trowel. “Come on. Let’s not mope around. We have plants to care for!”
“Eva love plants!” She exclaims, lifting her front legs into the air for emphasis. I chuckle at her, patting her carapace again before I go back to my gardening.
“I know, Eva.”
We work for another hour, tending to my garden and my trees, exchanging amicable chatter. I can tell she is still worried about me, which is very sweet of her. She shouldn’t have to worry about me, but I’m fully aware that almost every Eridian on the planet worries about me. There’s nothing I can do to convince them not to worry about me, really. Especially not when I have such visceral reactions to the Doctor leaving me alone.
Rocky doesn’t help. He’s always wittering away to his friends about how much he worries about me. I tell him that I’m okay but he never believes me. Which, to be honest, I don’t blame him for. I don’t blame any of them for worrying. It just gets on my nerves.
We finish up in the forest and Eva is already making plans to come back. She’s very invested in the growth of the plum tree, which makes me happy. I love having passionate students.
“Come on then, Eva,” I say fondly as I straighten up. “Let’s get you back to the airlock. I know your parents will be waiting for you.”
Eva groans but follows along at my side anyway. “Want spend all day with Doctor Grace. Want work with plants all day.”
I laugh. “Well, when you’re old enough, I’m sure you’ll be able to spend all day working with plants. For now though, you gotta get back to your parents. They won’t be happy with me if I keep you for longer than agreed.”
Eva grumbles quietly to herself, scuttling along at my side. I know she doesn’t want to leave me, but I’ll be damned if I have her angry parents chasing after me. They’re rather intimidating, so I’d rather get her home safely while being angry at me.
As we wander back through the forest however, she freezes, tilting to one side in confusion. I frown down at her, tucking my hands into the pockets of my cardigan.
“What’s up, Eva?”
“I hear voices. Human voices!” She exclaims, jumping up and down with joy. “Maybe Doctor? More than one voice! Male and female. Excite excite excite!”
She dashes off before I can ask her what on Erid she’s on about. My mind is reeling at the knowledge that she can hear human voices. It must be the Doctor. And maybe a friend? Like Donna. Amelia maybe? No, it can’t be Amelia. He said she was a small Scottish girl. There’s no way he’d bring a child with him on his adventures.
…is there?
I grimace and hurry after Eva as fast as my old legs will carry me. They ache like hell after gardening for so long. I really should be going back to my house for a bath and a nice cup of herbal tea.
Oh well!
I reach the edge of the forest where Eva has stopped and I pause next to her, my eyes landing on two figures walking up the beach. Behind them, I see that familiar blue box, and a small smile makes its way onto my face. He’s come back to me. And he has brought a friend with him!
“Is Doctor!” Eva chirps happily, nudging my leg gently. “Doctor Grace have friends now, statement.”
I nod, easily agreeing with her. “Yeah. Come on. Let’s say hi before I take you to your parents. We’ll be quick though.”
She wiggles happily. “Can be quick! Want meet Doctor and new person!”
I grin and the two of us start walking down to meet the Doctor and his friend. The Doctor notices us and I see him wave cheerily, nudging the arm of the woman walking with him. I’m nervous to see him again, but also so happy to have him back.
God I’ve missed him.
“Grace!” He calls as we near him. “And you have a friend! Hello little one. Are you… Eva? If I remember correctly?”
Eva preens, letting out a loud note. “Yes yes yes! I am Eva! Doctor remembers me!”
“Of course I remember you,” he scoffs. “You were so enthusiastic about the field trip we had. Always asking so many questions.”
Eva chitters happily, waving her front legs at the Doctor, who mimics the gesture, a large grin on his face. The woman next to him is regarding him with raised eyebrows, her arms folded across her chest. She looks entirely unsure of what to make of what’s happening before her. I send her what I hope is a reassuring smile, but she doesn’t look convinced.
“Oh, Grace, you look well,” the Doctor says, dropping his arms. “I’ve been so worried about you. I’m so sorry I didn’t come back sooner. I had duties to take care of-”
“Sorry, have I been reduced to ‘duties’?” The woman asks angrily. “You abandoned me for twelve years! The least you could do is refer to me by my bloody name.”
I blink. Twelve years? “Did you know the Doctor before this face then?” I ask her timidly, not wanting her wrath brought down upon me. She glares at me.
“No. I met him as a little girl. He was raggedy as ever. Crash landed in my back garden, threw out half the food I made him, then disappeared after promising he would only be five minutes!” She fumes, and the Doctor looks sheepish.
“Look, Amy, time is very wibbly wobbly,” he tries to explain, rubbing his hands together anxiously. “I thought it had been five minutes, but- look, I was in the middle of regenerating! I had things I needed to do! I was very unstable.”
I snort. “You can say that again.”
The Doctor looks towards me with an offended expression. “Hey! Just because I say it doesn’t mean you can too!”
Amy raises an eyebrow at him. “Shush yourself. I want to hear what he means by that.” She glances me expectantly, and I blush, feeling entirely put on the spot.
“Ah, well… The Doctor appeared on my beach looking all raggedy. It was a flying visit really. He hopped out of the TARDIS looking for an ‘Amelia’. He didn’t recognise me at first. But then again, I had no idea who he was either. I knew his old face. Anyway. He and his TARDIS were unstable. So, uh. Yeah.”
Amy turns her glare back towards the Doctor. “So you can’t come back to me in five minutes, but you can go to an entirely different planet looking for me? Right, yeah, that makes sense.”
I blink, furrowing my brow as the Doctor splutters excuses at Amy. She makes it sound like she is the Amelia that the Doctor had been searching for a couple of months ago. But that can’t be right. Amy is a woman. The Doctor had been looking for a small Scottish girl. Twelve years in two months? Doesn’t make sense.
Except it does. Because time is, as the Doctor told me before, very wibbly wobbly. Very timey-wimey.
Unstable. Just like him.
“You’re Amelia?” I ask quietly, and she rolls her eyes.
“Way to go, Einstein!” She says sarcastically. “You know, I can’t believe he managed to get all the way out here instead of being able to come back to England. I mean, this place is a gazillion miles away from Earth! Honestly!”
“What’s a gazillion?” Eva asks from beside me, making me jump. I’d forgotten that she’s still beside me. Her parents must be worried about where she is!
“And what is this?” Amy asks, crouching down to look at Eva, who waves her front leg. “Are you an alien?”
“Not alien! Am Eridian. This planet Erid. My home!” Eva responds. “You alien on my home. On Grace’s home.”
Amy pauses then nods. “Yeah, that’s true. I suppose I am an alien here.”
I sigh, shaking my head. “Eva, we best get you to your parents before they start fussing. I do not need them storming in here looking for you, okay?”
Eva deflates, flopping in the sand dramatically. “Don’t want to go! Want to spend all day with Doctor Grace in forest! Want to meet Doctor and Amelia! Want to stay!”
She burrows herself in the sand in a poor attempt to hide from me. I just raise my eyebrow at her.
“Eva. I will carry you.”
It’s an empty threat, as I know my back would give out if I tried that, but it makes her squeak and she jumps up, shaking the sand off her suit. “No carry! I am not pebble. I walk by myself.”
“You are a pebble,” I reply dryly. “Come on now, please.”
The four of us fall into step, though I can hear Amy and the Doctor bickering quietly between themselves behind me and Eva. I roll my eyes, shaking my head slightly. I’ve missed human behaviour, but I don’t particularly want my peace disturbed.
We arrive at the airlock soon enough, and as predicted, Eva’s parents are both waiting there for me. Eva chirps when she sees them and, after wrapping herself around my legs, she dashes off through the airlock. Her parents hum happily at me and I wave.
“I’ll see you in class, Eva. Thanks for all your help today!”
She dances happily. “Bye bye Doctor Grace! See later!”
I grin as she and her parents disappear off into Erid before I turn to face my guests. The Doctor is grinning while Amy has a gobsmacked expression on her face, staring in the place where Eva and her parents were.
“Right!” The Doctor says, clapping his hands together. “Amy. This is who I wanted you to meet! My dear, wonderful friend, Doctor Captain Ryland Grace!” He points towards me with a flourish and I wave awkwardly.
“Hi,” I say, feeling entirely unsure of myself now Eva has gone. Amy, however, doesn’t seem to care for introductions.
“What on Earth were those things? They’re like mountains!” She exclaims, and I shake my head.
“As Eva told you earlier, they’re Eridians,” I explain gently. “You’re on planet 40 Eridani A b, but we call it Erid.”
“But you’re not an Eridian,” she states, and I suppress a sigh.
“Way to go, Einstein,” I shoot her words back at her which makes her snort. “I’m a human. But I live here. Do you want to see my house? My robot nanny makes lovely coffee and tea if you want some.”
“You have a robot nanny?”
“Yup. He was on my ship with me. His job was to make sure I didn’t die.”
“Oi! Grace, watch yourself. Spoilers. We can’t be having any of those here,” the Doctor interrupts. “Remember?”
I give him a flat stare, raising an eyebrow at him. He splutters a little then folds his arms across his chest, frowning at me. That makes me sigh. I don’t want to fight, but I’m not sure if I can put up with this. It’s all too different. If I’m going to get through this, I think I’ll need some of Armando’s coffee.
“Why is that a spoiler?” Amy asks as we start to walk back to my house. “How’s telling me about his robot a spoiler?”
“Becuase everything to do with why I’m here is a massive spoiler that you can’t know about,” I say through another sigh, remembering what the Doctor had told me when Donna was here. “It affects your personal future. So I can’t tell you.”
“What the hell! Doctor!” She whirls on him and sticks her finger in his face. “So why on Earth did you bring me here to meet him if I’m not allowed to know anything about him!”
I hide a smile, biting my lip to stop myself from laughing. It seems that the Doctor has a habit of picking up feisty redheads to be his companions. Not that I’m complaining. Donna was lovely, in the brief amount of time that I knew her she was an absolute gem to me. And Amy seems brilliant. She’s the kind of woman whose bad side you absolutely do not want to get on.
“I brought you to meet him because he’s very important to me!” The Doctor replies indignantly. “You’re important to me, and so is Grace. I want the two of you to meet because you’re both important to me.”
I turn to smile openly at the Doctor. “That’s very sweet of you. You’re important to me too, Doctor.”
His grin nearly splits his face in two and he steps towards me, opening his arms. I let out a choked noise and fall easily into his embrace, letting him cradle me close to him. Having his arms back around me reminds me why I put up with his madness and his unstableness. He gives me the love and care I so crave. Man to man, human to time lord.
“Hello, Doctor Grace,” he whispers in my ear, and I feel myself relax against him. “I’m so sorry. I’ve missed you terribly.”
“I’ve missed you too,” I admit quietly. “I missed you so much.”
“I’m here now,” he reassures me, though I can’t be sure how long he’ll be here for, especially as he has Amy with him.
Speaking of Amy, she’s regarding me and the Doctor with a soft look on her face, her head tilted to one side, and I’m reminded of Donna. Beautiful, kind, wonderful Donna. I really hope I get to see her again someday, though I don’t think I ever will. I wonder if she’ll see my face on the news in her timeline for the Hail Mary launch and think that she vaguely recognises me.
The Doctor squeezes me, bringing me back to myself, and steps back, smiling at me. “Coffee?”
“Coffee.”
We walk back to my house, the Doctor holding my arm, letting me lean against him, as he yaps away to Amy, telling her about how amazing I am. I blush and try to splutter out that I’m not actually that amazing, but the Doctor is hearing none of it. I know Rocky would agree with him if he were here, so I just roll my eyes and shake my head, a fond smile on my face as he sings my praises.
She seems genuinely interested in my living situation here, and absolutely baffled by the fact that I can grow fruit, vegetables, trees, flowers and more here. That makes me beam with pride and I’m able to tell her all about Adrian and their brilliance with science.
Armando already has the kettle boiling by the time we’re back at my house, and I move over to the couch, needing to rest my aching limbs on something a bit more comfortable than my kitchen chairs. The Doctor sits next to me and Amy takes the other couch, tilting her head at me curiously.
“Am I allowed to ask why you, a human, are out here so far away from Earth, or is that a spoiler too?” She asks, and I grimace as the Doctor shakes his head.
“Spoilers,” he says apologetically as Amy groans. “I’m sorry Amy! It’s- Grace is such a magnificent human. Doing all of this on his own? Learning to live with an alien species? He’s incredible! But I’m so sorry, you can’t learn about why he’s here. I promise you will, in your own timeline, but you can’t know now.”
“What year are you from?” I ask her.
“2010,” she replies and I sigh.
“Yeah, give it ten or so years and you’ll find out.”
“Grace! Spoilers!” The Doctor cries and Amy groans, dropping her head onto the back of the couch.
“Ten years? Seriously? I have to wait ten years!”
I shrug. “Give or take. I can’t remember if it was exactly 2020 when it happened but it was around then. Besides, I bet when you leave here, you’ll go back off to your wonderful life and forget all about me. You’ll go exploring around universes and meet so many different aliens that I, a human on an alien planet, will be so inconsequential to you.”
“Don’t talk about yourself like that, Grace,” the Doctor snaps. “Nothing about you is inconsequential. You’re magnificent.”
A small smile appears on my face. “Well. Thank you, Doctor.”
“Trust me,” Amy pipes up, “I won’t forget you. Rory’s gonna go mad when I tell him all this, but there’s no way I’m going to forget you.”
“Who’s Rory?”
“My fiancé. He’s not gonna believe any of this. Can we bring him here someday?”
“Oh, yes, of course!” Anything to have more humans here. “I’d love to have him here. I love having guests.”
“Do you get lots of guests?” Amy asks, accepting the mug of coffee Armando hands her. I shake my head, taking my mug of coffee and passing the Doctor his.
“Nah. Only when the Doctor visits. It was only when I was sent here that humans had managed to make an interstellar spaceship.” I ignore the poke the Doctor gives me about spoilers. “I don’t think they’ve quite managed to get better yet. Or if they have, they haven’t been here. But I don’t mind. I like it here. I have everything I need.”
A knock on the door disturbs our conversation and I smile when I hear Rocky’s familiar song. Speaking of having everything I need!
‘Hi Grace!’ He calls through the door. ‘I come in? Saw TARDIS on beach! Doctor here, question?’
The Doctor jumps up before I can even think about moving. “I’ll get it!” He says with a grin. He opens the door with a flourish, his arms out wide to greet Rocky. “Hello Rocky! I missed you.”
Rocky chirps happily, waving his front legs in the air as he laughs. ‘Doctor here! Hello Doctor. And Doctor have friend!’
The Doctor steps aside, making space for Rocky to come in, and he immediately clambers up on the couch next to me, settling against me. I smile down at him, resting my hand on the top of his carapace through his xenonite suit.
“Hey pal,” I say. “This is Amy. She’s the Amelia that the Doctor was looking for last time he was here.”
Amy waves at Rocky, a shine in her eyes and a grin on her face. “Hey Rocky! Nice to meet you.”
“Amy, this is Rocky. He’s my best friend.”
Rocky preens happily at being called my best friend and he pats my knee with his claw. ‘Grace my best friend too. I love you Grace.’
“Love you too, Rocky.” I drape my arm over him, happy as he burrows into my side. I love it when he’s all affectionate like this. It half reminds me of a cat, if I’m being honest.
“Is he everything you need?” Amy asks with a knowing smile, and I can’t help but grin happily.
“Yeah. He was all I had for a long time. We look after each other.”
‘Rocky have to look after Grace. Grace bad bad bad at looking after self.’
The Doctor snorts but before he can open his mouth Rocky carries on talking.
‘Mostly is because of Doctor,’ he says flatly, and I know that if he had a face, he’d be glaring daggers at the Doctor, who shrinks in his seat. ‘Grace and Doctor friends. Doctor give Grace human contact and company. But Doctor vanishes and takes forever to come back. Grace misses Doctor.’
“Rock, let’s not go guilt-tripping the Doctor, okay?” I say through a sigh. “I was rubbish at looking after myself before he came into my life anyway.”
“I am sorry, Grace,” the Doctor tells me quietly, his hands folded in his lap, a guilty expression on his face. “I don’t mean- you’re so important to me. So important. My lonely human on alien soil.”
“I know, Doctor,” I reassure him. “And I know I am not the only thing that needs you. So please don’t feel guilty, okay?”
It’s hard being friends with a time travelling alien. I’ve no idea how long his visits will last, nor do I know when he will next come and see me. But none of that matters when he’s here with me, keeping me company.
“I will be better,” he says stubbornly. “I know what you’re like. I will be better for you, I promise.”
“I’ll make him be better,” Amy cuts in with a firmness that once again reminds me of Donna. “I will make sure he comes back here to see you. We’ll bring Rory too. We’ll visit you loads, Grace. We will make sure you aren’t lonely.”
I smile. “I appreciate that,” I murmur, already warming to Amy. “I don’t expect loads of visits, but a few every now and again would be nice.”
“We can work with that.” Amy nods, looking towards the Doctor with raised eyebrows. The Doctor just smiles shyly at me.
“I will be better,” he repeats and I smile.
“I know, Doctor.”
***
The two of them, unfortunately, don’t stay for long on Erid. We sit in my house talking for a while before the Doctor insists that Amy needs a tour of the dome, which Rocky is more than happy to lead as it means he gets to wax poetic about Adrian. I wish Adrian could join us, but they’re busy with their science team doing… actually, I’m not 100% sure what they’re doing. Some form of Eridian science stuff. They’ll tell me about it sometime, I know they will. I love sharing science stuff with them.
Rocky has Amy with him in front of me, chattering away to her about all the incredible things the biodome team have done for me, while the Doctor keeps pace with me, his arm looped through mine. I let him take a bit of my weight, thankful I have him here to lean on.
“Grace,” he murmurs softly to me, “I truly am sorry for how I’ve treated you lately.”
“Shush. You’re here now,” I say, but he shakes his head.
“No. Don’t brush it off. You’re a lonely old man here. We were the two lonely old men together for ages, and then I left you-”
I frown. “You had to leave me. There were emergencies for you to deal with-”
“Yes, but then when I came back, I was a mess. I was getting used to my new body and I didn’t really think about how it all looked from your perspective.” He sighs and runs his free hand through his hair. “I was so scatty. All over the place and unstable. I didn’t take the time to really think of you. Gosh, I can’t believe I didn’t explain regeneration to you when I lived with you. That was stupid of me.”
“You had other things on your mind,” I reply drily and he squeezes my arm.
“Don’t make excuses for me,” he says, his tone apologetic. “You deserve so much more than the way I treated you. I was so wrapped up in myself, getting used to my new body and sorting out things that I’d left unfinished, then needing to go and find Amelia… I was entirely unfair to you, Grace. And I am so sorry for that.”
I pat his arm with my free hand, pressing my shoulder against his as we walk. “I know. I appreciate the apology.” I sigh, directing my gaze over to Rocky and Amy. “You are very important to me, Doctor. You swooped in at just the right time and gave me the love I needed. And I am so grateful that you still come and see me, even though you have so many other things to do.”
“I will always make time for you,” he promises me. “Always.”
I smile at him. “That’s all I need.”
We catch up with Amy and Rocky, who are deep in conversation about open water swimming, which makes me laugh. Rocky’s arguing about how dangerous it is while Amy is saying that there’s nothing wrong with it and it’s a brilliant fitness activity. I grin at them, knowing this is coming from a place of worry.
Whenever I go swimming in the water, there’s almost always at least one Eridian dancing anxiously on the shore line because ‘humans can drown in as little as one inch of water Grace! Careful careful careful!’
I like swimming though. It’s good for my bones. I can’t do laps like I used to, but I love lazing about in the water, letting the waves pull me around. It’s calming and it makes me feel so much better. I tell Amy and Rocky this, and while Rocky grumbles about my safety, Amy’s smile dazzles me. She’s someone I hope sticks around with the Doctor. She seems like she’s exactly what he needs.
The four of us continue on our way around the dome, Rocky explaining all the cool things the team have done for me as well as taking every opportunity to remind us how amazing Adrian is. I don’t blame him. Adrian is pretty damn cool.
Eventually though, as always, Amy and the Doctor have to go. It’s unfair. They’ve only been here for a few hours. I want them to stay for a few days. A few weeks, months, years! The visits always feel too short. Everything is too short.
Rocky seems to agree, as when we’re standing in the door of the TARDIS, he makes an unhappy noise, leaning against my leg.
‘Doctor always rushing off. Visits too short. Bad bad bad. Grace life too short. Doctor must stay longer.’
The Doctor pauses and lifts his eyes from the screen to look towards me. His eyebrows are pinched and a concerned expression leaks onto his face.
“Human lives are far too short,” he agrees, “but I will be back. I know I will be.”
“I’ll make sure he comes back. I’ll drag him back if I have to,” is Amy’s input, and the Doctor splutters indignantly.
“There will be no dragging involved because I always want to come and see Grace,” he says stubbornly. He moves away from the control deck and towards me, gently drawing me into his arms. I go willingly, savouring the contact. How I love being held by him.
Amy’s right there when he pulls away, wrapping her own arms around me. She squeezes me gently before cupping my face between her palms.
“Look after yourself, Grace,” she says softly. “We will be back. And I’ll bring Rory! He’ll love to meet you.”
“I look forward to it,” I say before letting her go and stepping back out of the TARDIS, Rocky at my side. The Doctor lifts his arms to give us the Eridian goodbye and we return the gesture, laughing at Amy’s confused look before she attempts the actions.
“See you both soon,” I say and they nod, waving before Amy shuts the door. Rocky and I move back, out of range of the whirring TARDIS, and we stay there until we can’t hear it anymore. Rocky leans against me, humming softly.
‘Movie night?’ He asks and I smile.
“Movie night.”